Method and apparatus for extracting oil from wells



11,499,589 F. NAVIN METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR EXTRACTING OIL FROM WELLS Filed A112; 27 1923 G a 5 i W A 4 um A A f a A I? INVENTOR.

A TTORNEYJ- ramm- NAVIN, or LOS enemas, camroiama.

w it arraaa'rus roa ax'raaorme 01L riao vr watts:

Application and August" 27, 1923. Serial No. 659,685

' To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANK NAvIiv, a citizen of the 'United States, and resident of the city of Los Angeles, county of Los Angeles, and State of California, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Methods and Apparatus for Extracting Oil from Wells; and I do hereby declare the vfollowing to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to-which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to a method of and apparatus for .extracting oil from an oil well, and specifically to so treating and separating the oil, water, sand and emulsion, while still in the well, that the extracted oil is isolated from the said refuse matter, and is separately removed from the well.

The invention relates broadly to a method v of automatically separating the oil from the water, sand and emulsion, by pressure, and in thereafter separately extracting the oil by pressure. 1

The object of the invention is the PTO. vision of means for economically and effectively carrying out the method as broadly expressed above. Other objects of the invention will be made apparent in the accompanying specification, when taken in connection with the drawing forming a part thereof.

In said drawingg The figure is a plan View, artly in transverse section, showing my evice for raising the oil from oil bearing sands. I

Now referring specifically to the draw ing, the single figure shows a device which is well adapted to practice my method of separating the oil and other matter in the well, and separately extractihg the pure oil.

In said drawing A indicates the surface strata'of the earth, B the oil-bearing sands, and G the solid strata below the sands B. -My extracting device comprises'a well casing 1, consisting of a tubular member of as large a diameter as may be readily placed in the well. The casing 1 extends through the surface strata and the oil strata, and is cemented or firmly fixed at2, below the oil, strata B, to the solid formation (l. lPreferably the casing is also similarly fixed at 3, to the top of the oil sands or strata B, it being noted that the closed lower end 4 of the casing 1 is substantially below the strata B. I I

The top of the casing'l is closed by a cap 5, which is applied-to said casing to form an air-tight'closure capable of resisting great pressure. A pipe 6, leading from a compressed air tank 7, or other source of compressed air, or gas under pressure, is extended downwardly through the top" of the cap 5, and leads in to a chamber 8 formedin the casing 1, between the cap 5 and the plane of the oil-bearing strata B. Said pipe" 6 is equipped with an air valve 9, and a pressure gauge 10, as shown in the 3 drawing. i

"An oil take-off pipe 11 also extends throughthe cap 5, and extends downwardly through the chamber.8, and terminates between the top and bottom surfaces of the oil-bearing strata B, as clearly shown. The pipe 11 leads to the crude oil tank reservoir, and is provided with a by-pass 12, which is preferably underground, and leading to a refinery. Valves 13, 14: and 15 are provided in the pipes. 11 and 12, whereby the oil taken from the well by the pipe 11 may be led directly to the oil tanks or reservoirs, by closing valve 15, or to the refinery, by closing valve 14, or from the tanks to the refinery, by closing valve 13, the tanks and refinery not being shown herein.

Also extending through the cap 5, is a water takeoff pi e 16, which' extends through the casing 1.to a point below the oil strata B. Thev outer portion of this pipe is provided with a control valve 17,'and with a discharge outlet, or may obviously be connected to a suitable, conduit.

7 The casing 1 is provided with a plurality of. perforations ,18 in. that portion within the plane of the oil-bearing strata, and preferably below the central line of said plane,

as shown in the drawing. fIn the operation i of my device, after installation, the oil, sand,

water and emulsion pass from the strata B, through the perforations 18, into the casing 1, and the water, sand and emulsion pass to the bottom of the well, leaving the oil on top, these several ingredients being indicated by 19, the oil, 20, the water, and 21; the sand, the emulsion being distributed between the water and sand.

It is to be noted that the pipe 11 extends into the oil 19,'terminating short of the" water, and that the pipe 16 extends through the oil 19 and terminates in the water 20, but short of the sand.

The device being installed, as set forth,

- specific gravities, the positions as 1e fi I the pipe 16, is also opened,

' entran e from t the oil is forced out and. the oil, water, sand and emulsion havlng assumed, on account of the different indicated, to admit compressed air through the pip valve 9 is operated into the chamber 8,

any relief, would tend to force water backwardly through the But the valves 13 on top of the oil 19 ls'communicated to the water 20. Since the water has only one exit, it is forced upwardly and outwardly through the outer end of the pipe 16.

t is to be noted that the lower endotthe pipe is always in the clean oil, and, as of the casing 1,.the top level of theoil 19 is'lbwered, as is also,- simultaneousl the top level-of the water 20, as the latter simultaneously passes out through the pipe 16. Consequently, nothing but clean oil passes out through the pipe 11, because the top of the be elevated to the lower end of said pipe. It is,

of course, essential that the pressure the chamber 8 .should never be high enou h to' force the oil and water backward y through the apertures 18,- and, to guard against such contingency, I provide the safety valve 22, connected to a small pipe 23, leading through the cap 5. The 0 ratormay easily ascertain the force of ti l oil, water, sand, .etc., which through the apertures 18 into the casing 1, and may at all times inform himself of the air pressure in the chamber 8, by glancing at the pressure gauge 10. The safety valve 22 is, ZQf course set to open in ample time to oil, etc., into the estrata B, and, by properly setting thereleasing mechanism of the safety valve, and by properly manipulatingthe air valve 9, the oil, water, emulsion and sand will easily and continuously into the easing 1, the oil separate and rise to surround the lower end of the pipe 11, and be forced through said pipe, while the water, sand and emulsion will gravitate to the bottom of the casing, and the water and emulsion -'be led off via the'pipe 16.

A resistance or heating element 24, hung .upon suitable circuit wires 25, connected to a suitable source and extending through the pipe 16, and controlled by is located in the lower endof the. casing 1 within the water zone.

If the oil being extracted is of very heavy specificv gravity,

' stoo water level can neverpasses Th casing 1,

a switchl26,

and hence does not 11 freely, the switch 26 is operated to close the circuit and energize the heater 24, which raises the temperature of the water 20, and thereby the temperaturedof' the oil 19, as will be readily under- Obviously, the compressed air tank 7 may large enough to operate several oil wells as described, or the wells may be operated by gas pressure taken from nearby gas wells. en the well shall have attained so an accumulation of sand, or is makmg so much water as to cause the water level to too closely approach the lower level of the oil 19, the lower portion of the casing 1 may be "cleaned by closing the valves 13 and 9, and by forcing a solvent in through the pipe 16. The-valve 9 may then be opened, and a heavy pressure of air be introduced into the chamber 8," through the pipe 6, the safety valve 22 being first adusted accordingly. This consequent pres sure upon the oil 19 will force said oil, the water and the sand and emulsion out through the pipe 16. Or the solvent may be dispensed with, and the oil, sand, water and emulsion blown out as described; or a valved by-pass may be the pipe 11, which event the eavy pressure would the oil out through the pipe 11 and said pass, if the valve being used or dispensed with, as desired.

It will be observed that I have provided a device for the purpose described, wherein all movable parts, such as pumps, are eliminated, thereby greatly reducing the cost of operation, and the necessity for repairs. s only power required is to maintain the requisite air pressure, this pressure may be taken gas wells, when available.

Various modifications scribed method and structure gested to those skilled in the ow byfrom adjacent art, but it is to be understood that the invention is broad enough to include fairly within the claims.

. Iclaimr V 1 1. The method of extracting clean oil from a well which consists in separating the oil, while in the well from the water, sand and emulsion, in thereafter forcing the'separated oil out of the well-by the utilization of a compressed fluid, and insimultaneously utilizing the same compressed fluidto force-the waterout of the well without contact with the oil.

2. The method of extracting clean oil from a well which consists in permittin the oil. water, sand and emulsion receive from the oil strata, .to gravitate to the natural levels withthe oil on top, and thereafter imposing a pressure .upon the top of all embodiments fallin scope of thexappended and, as herein stated,

17 wereclosed, the solvent of the herein-demay be sug- I the oil whereby to force it from the well, through an oil exit, and whereby to simultaneously force the water from the well through a separate water exit, substantially as described.

3. Means for extracting clean oil from a well, comprising a casing apertured at and extending below the oil strata, an oil exit conduit extending into the casing and terminating within the plane of the oil strata, a conduit for waste extending through the casing and terminating below said strata, and Lmeans for applying pressure in the upper portion of the casing, substantially as described.

4. Means for extracting clean oil from a well, comprising a casing apertured at and extending below the oil strata, an oil exit conduit extending through the top portion of the casing and terminating within the plane of the oil strata, a waste conduit extending through the top portion of the casing and terminating below said strata, and means for admitting compressed fluid, in regulable quantities, into the portion of the casing above said strata, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

5. A device for extracting clean oil from wells, comprising a casingprovided with a sealing cap at its .top, said casing being perforated at the oil strata and extending there-below, whereby to form a well bottom of a depth permitting, by gravitation, separation of oil, water, emulsion and sand to their proper levels, an oil take-off pipe extending through said cap and terminating within the plane of the oil strata, a waste take-off pipe extending through said cap and terminating between the plane of said strata and the bottom of the casing, and a pipe connected to a supply of fluid under pressure, and extending through said cap and terminating above said strata, substantially as described. t

6. A device for extracting clean oil from wells, comprising a casing provided with a sealing cap at its top, said casing being perforated at the oil strata and extending there-below, whereby to form awell bottom of a depth permitting, by gravitation, separation of oil, water, emulsion andsand to their proper levels, an oil take-off pipe extending through said'cap and terminating within the plane of the oil strata, a waste take-oft pipe extending through said cap and terminating between the plane of said strata and the bottom of the casing, a pipe connected to a supply of fluid under pressure, and extending through said cap and terminating above said strata, and a pressure gauge connected to said fluid pressure pipe, substantially as described.

7. A device for extracting clean oil from wells, comprising a casing provided with a sealing cap at its top,

said casing being perforated at the oil strata and extending there-below, whereby to form a well bottom of a depth permitting, by gravitation, separation of oil, water, emulsion and sand to their proper levels, an oil take-01f pipe extending through said cap and terminating within the plane of the oil strata, a .waste take-off pipe extending through said cap and terminating between the plane of said strata and the bottom of thecasing, a pipe connected to a' supply of fluid under pressure, and extending through said cap and terminating above said strata, a pressure gauge connected to said fluid pressure pipe, and a safety valve mounted adjacent'said cap and operatively connected to the interior of'the casing above said strata, substantially as described. K

8. A. device for extracting clean oil from wells, comprising a casing provided with a sealing cap at its top,- said casing being perforated at the oil strata and extending there-below, whereby to form a well bot tom of a depth permitting, by gravitation, separation of oil, water, emulsion and sand to their proper levels, an oil take-off pipe extending through said cap and terminating within the plane of the oil strata, a waste take-ofi' pipe extending through said cap and terminating between the plane of said strata and the bottom of the casing, a pipe connected to a supply of fluid under pressure, and extending through said cap and terminating above said strata, and means located between the strata and the bottom of the casing adapted to raise the temperature of the water below said strata, substantially as described.

9. A device for extracting clean oil from wells, comprising a casing provided with a sealing cap at its top, said casing being perforated at the oil strata and extending therebelow, whereby to form a well bottom of a depth permitting, by gravitation, separation of oil, water, emulsion and san to their proper levels, an oil takeoff pipe extending through said czfp and terminating within the plane of the oil strata, a waste take-off pipe extending through said cap and terminating between the plane of said strata and the bottom of the casing, a pipe connected to a supply of fluid under pres sure, and extending through said cap and terminating above said strata, and means located between the strata and the bottom of the casing adapted to raise the temperature of the water below said strata, said means comprising an electrical heating element located below said waste take-off pipe, and suspended by wires extending through said pipe and connected to a suitable source of electricity, substantially as described.

ture.

FRANK NAVIN. 

